Not If I Save You First
by 3.1415926535897932384626433383
Summary: Tahani thought that she and Eleanor would be best friends forever. But when your dad is a Secret Service agent and your friend is the President's daughter, sometimes life has other plans. Before Tahani knows it, her dad is dragging her to a cabin in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness and into a totally different life. Until Eleanor shows up again six years later . . .


_Dear Tahani,_

 _There's a party tomorrow night at my house. Mom said I could invite a friend if I wanted to. Do you want to come?_

 __YES_

 __NO_

 __MAYBE_

 _Eleanor_

Tahani Al-Jamil had absolutely no intention of invading the White House. But if she had wanted to, she knew seven different ways to do so. It really wasn't as hard as everyone thought. Eleanor had lived there less than a year, and she and Tahani had already found four tunnels, two pseudo-secret passageways, and a cabinet near the kitchen that smelled faintly of expensive cheese and only partially blocked an old service elevator that really wasn't as boarded up as everybody thought.

"Charlie?" Tahani asked the big man in the passenger seat of the SUV. He turned to look at where she sat, seatbelt snugly around her, even though everyone knew silk wrinkled and this was the prettiest silk dress Tahani had ever worn before.

She'd already complained about it, but Charlie had told her that it was either wear a seatbelt or walk, and Tahani was wearing brand-new black leather shoes that were already starting to pinch her feet, and Eleanor had told her there might be dancing later, and she didn't want to miss that just because her feet hurt.

"Whatcha need, Tahani?" Charlie asked as Walter drove on.

"Did you know that there's a place under the stairs that's just full of spiders that died during the Nixon administration? At least, that's what Eleanor told me. Do you think that's true? I don't think it is. At least, I hope it's not true. How horrible would that be?" she said, not really waiting for Charlie to answer.

"I could ask dad," she continued, "but he didn't work here then. Or anyways I don't think he worked here then. That was a really long time ago… but he is really old. Like really really old. Do you think he's old enough to have worked her then?" Charlie laughed, although Tahani wasn't really sure why.

"I don't know, but I think you should ask him, exactly like that," he said. That sounded like a good idea to Tahani.

"Thank you, Charlie, I'll do that," she said. She stopped to think for a moment, her thoughts whirling onwards as they sometimes did when she was excited. "Did you know that there's an air duct that you can reach the Oval Office in from the Lincoln room that's absolutely full of dead spiders?" she said. "It's disgusting, when Eleanor and I crawled through it I ruined my favorite pair of pink leggings and we found a spider in my hair afterwards."

"You can reach the Oval Office via the air ducts?" Charlie said, spinning to look at her. She nodded.

"Eleanor bet that I couldn't do it, but I did. She was really impressed when I did it, she didn't think I'd make it through the spiders part in my pink leggings. Don't tell her, but I didn't either. I almost turned back as soon as I crawled up there, because it was so dusty. But I figured, I already had gotten dirt on my knees… if my leggings were already ruined then why not finish it out right?"

"You should definitely tell your dad about that," Charlie said, brow creased.

"I don't think he'd care that my leggings were ruined. Although maybe he would buy me another pair…" said Tahani.

"Not about the leggings, about the duct… you know what, never mind, I'll tell him." Tahani shrugged.

When they finally reached a pair of tall iron gates Tahani was so excited for the party and to see Eleanor that she couldn't help but to swing her legs so dramatically that she kicked the back of Charlie's seat, but Charlie just rolled down his window and told the man with the clipboard "We have a VIP guest for Eleanor."

The guard looked in the back seat and smiled when he saw Maddie. Through the tinted windows she could see other guards circling the vehicle. Dogs sniffed around the bumpers, but the guard kept his eyes on her.

"Looks like a high-risk entrant to me, boys. I don't know that we should let her in." Tahani frowned.

"No, I have my invitation right here, Felix! Besides, my dad works with the President. I'm not high-risk! You should let me in," she said. Felix laughed and held out his hand for the letter Eleanor had written her that asked if she wanted to come. She passed it forward and held her breath as he inspected it with a frown.

"Looks like it's all in order," he said finally. Tahani released the breath she'd been holding and he grinned at her. "Have fun, kiddo!"

Eleanor never had fun at parties. In her experience, they very rarely meant pizza and presents and bounce houses. Not anymore, anyways. Sure, there was usually cake, but it was always very tiny, ornate pieces, and her mom always gave her The Look if she ate more than three. And ever since the time she had asked the prime minister of Canada if she was going to eat her cake, she wasn't allowed to sit at the table with her parents.

Which, in Eleanor's opinion, was just as well.

"Is Tahani here yet?" she asked her mother.

"I don't know… is she under the bed?" Eleanor's mother grinned and glanced through the bathroom door to the canopy bed on which Eleanor lay.

"No, we don't fit."

"I'm not going to ask how you know that," said her mother, going back to fixing her makeup. The phone rang a moment later, and her mother answered it.

"Yes? Excellent. Send her up."

"Is Tahani-"

"She's on her way up," her mother told her, and Eleanor flew off the bed, out into the hallway, and down the stairs.

The farther she got from her mother, the more chaotic everything became. There were people with huge bunches of flowers and staffers running up and down the stairs in high heels. But all Eleanor really saw was Tahani.

"Tani!" Eleanor screamed from the landing she stood on. "You look…"

"Is my dress too wrinkled?" Tahani blurted out, as though the answer mattered. Eleanor shook her head.

"I don't think so. It's…" her voice trailed off as she followed Tahani's gaze through the bulletproof window. The chaos of the building all but disappeared as a helicopter landing on the lawn. A group of men and women were running toward the house, crouching low beneath the helicopter's spinning blades. Only the last two men off the chopper walked upright, laughing and talking as they strolled towards the doors.

Eleanor turned to Tahani. "Dad's home."

Tahani couldn't be sure whether Eleanor was talking about her dad or her own dad, but the statement was true either way. But there was no denying that as the two dads entered the house, the place went a little more - and a little less - crazy. There was an energy that always surrounded Eleanor's father. Some people stopped. Some people stared. But there was another group of people who seemed to constantly swirl and swarm around him, like a hive of bees caught inside a series of tornadoes, spinning in his orbit while everyone else got out of the way.

Everyone except Eleanor's mom. She didn't spin or rush or stare as she walked towards her husband, her red dress flowing behind her as she moved down the stairs.

"You're late," she said.

"Mr President," one of his assistants cut in. "The speakers are waiting for you."

"They can wait until the president has kissed his wife and hugged his son and… changed into something decent," the first lady told the woman. And with that, the tiny tornadoes dissipated into other parts of the White House.

"Hello, darling," said Eleanor's dad as he leaned down to kiss her. When he pulled away she made a face and said "You smell." Her gaze shifted to Tahani. "What are we going to do with him, Tahani?"

Tahani could only shake her head. "Boys always smell," she said truthfully.

"You'll get used to it, sweetheart," Eleanor's mom told her. Tahani doubted it, but she didn't say anything. Meanwhile, Eleanor's dad didn't seem to mind. He reached for his daughter and said "Hey, kiddo." Then he turned to Tahani. "Kiddette."

Tahani dropped into a graceful curtsy. "It's a pleasure to meet you again, Eleanor's dad."

"And you, al-Jamil's daughter." The president bowed at the waist. "You're a far lovelier sight than your father, I can assure you."

"Thank you. My dress wasn't wrinkled when I put it on, you know. The wrinkles are entirely Charlie's fault.

"I'll have a word with Charlie," the president said gravely as Tahani's dad tried to pull her into a hug. She pulled away, making a face.

"You're right, they do stink," Tahani said to the first lady.

"This is what I get for keeping the president safe?" Tahani's dad asked.

"From treasonous deer? It's hard work, I'm sure." The first lady turned to her husband. "Now do I need to remind the par of you that the Russian prime minister and his entire entourage, your entire cabinet, and all seven viewers of C-SPAN are expecting our very first state dinner to commence in 45 minutes?"

Eleanor's dad cut a look at Tahani's. "Save me from her, al-Jamil."

But Tahani's father just shook his head. "Sorry, Mr President. This time you're on your own."

It wasn't until the first lady dragged the president upstairs that Tahani felt Eleanor stir beside her. She'd been perfectly quiet - perfectly still - as if content to be a mere fly on the wall in her father's presence.

Then her father asked "How are you doing, Rascal?" and Eleanor's eyes got bigger.

"Did my dad really kill a deer?" Tahani's father shook his head.

"No, we saw one but he was more interested in getting a vote out of the senator for Kentucky." Eleanor looked confused.

"You had a gun, why didn't you shoot it?" Tahani's father seemed to think this was an excellent question. He leaned in.

"Because when I shoot, it isn't for fun," he said.

"It's because you have to," said Eleanor.

Tahani's father nodded. "And what's more important than being a good shot?" he asked.

Eleanor only had to think about it for a moment. "Making sure you don't have to."

Tahani's father nodded, tousling Eleanor's light blond waves. "That's right." He stood up. "Now, I really do have to go shower. What are you two going to do for the next 45 minutes?" Eleanor and Tahani looked at each other and gave two simultaneous identical shrugs. "Fine, don't tell me. Just stay in the house and stay out of the way. It's crazy in here."

"We noticed," said Eleanor as he left.

Tahani was used to being basically invisible, but Eleanor had been in the spotlight so often in the last year that Tahani could see that it was somewhat of a new, though not entirely unwelcome, feeling as they walked through the chaos of the White House. Doors slammed and phones rang, but nobody noticed the first daughter and her friend, even when Eleanor said "In here" and punched numbers into a keypad beside a door that Tahani had never noticed before. When the door sprang open, she pulled Tahani into a hallway that was totally and completely silent.

"That's better," she said, smiling at Tahani.

"Are we supposed to be in here?"

Eleanor shrugged. "Probably not, but if they really wanted to keep us out, they shouldn't have let me see them punch in the code that one time." Tahani grinned, the mild thrill of rebellion with her best friend making her fingers and toes tingle. Besides, Eleanor made an excellent point. Everyone knew that Eleanor was very good at remembering things, from phone numbers and access codes to where the White House kept its chocolate. It had been Tahani's experience that the White House kept an excellent store of chocolate. And that's what she was thinking about as they walked down the long, silent hallway that led to the kitchens, when three men came rushing down the silent hallway, pushing a massive cart and paying absolutely no mind to the two ten-year-olds who stood in their way.

Eleanor said "Excuse me." But Tahani's dad's job didn't depend on her being polite to people, so she muttered "How rude!" as they passed.

For a moment, Eleanor and Tahani stood, shocked, in the once-more quiet hallway. Then Tahani thought of where they were standing. "Are they supposed to be here?"

Eleanor grimaced. "Russian security. The Russian delegation said they would only eat food prepared by their chef. They had to bring it in and keep it under armed guard and everything." Tahani made a face.

"I wouldn't like that. Eating cold food just because someone might want to kill me." She was about to say something else too, when suddenly Eleanor reached into her pocket and blurted "Here!" as she thrust a little blue box towards her.

"What's this?" Tahani asked, taking it and opening it. Inside was a golden charm bracelet, with beautifully wrought charms dangling from it every few links.

"A gift," Eleanor said. "For you."

"You got me a gift? Why?" Tahani demanded. Eleanor rolled her eyes.

"Because you're my friend, obviously," she said.

"Do you get gifts this nice for all your friends?" Tahani demanded. Even in the bright fluorescent lighting a shadow seemed to cross Eleanor's face.

"You're my only friend," she said, and Tahani didn't ask any more questions.

"It's so shiny," she said, looking down at the bracelet.

"Do you like it?" Eleanor asked nervously.

"I love it," said Tahani. Eleanor helped her put it on, fastening the clasp for her.

"It's a little big," she told her. "But I wanted it to fit when you were older too."

"I'll never take it off," said Tahani, and in that moment she meant it with all her heart. A silence stretched between them, words unspoken, and Eleanor had to look away, like staring at Tahani wearing the bracelet she'd given her was like staring at the sun. She blinked.

"Well, I suppose we should get back-"

"What are you two doing here?" The first lady's voice echoed down the tiled hall, cutting Eleanor off.

"We're staying out of the way," Tahani announced. She had been doing a very good job of it and thought it was high time that some grown-up should be bragging about them for their discretion.

"That's a good plan," said the first lady. "It's a zoo out there."

"Mom, do Tahani and I have to go?" Eleanor asked. "Couldn't we just watch TV in the residence or something?" When the first lady looked at them, her eyes were a little sad, as though she wished she could give them a normal night in a normal home. But they weren't in a normal home, and she couldn't pretend life would be normal for Eleanor ever again.

"You could watch TV," the first lady said. "But I'm afraid tonight is a very important night for your father. Our relations with Russia are… strained. And he thinks that if you and I also attend, it might seem like more of a family thing than a political thing. Does that make sense?" Eleanor's shoulder drooped, but she nodded.

"Yeah, it does," she agreed. "Why are you down here then instead of getting ready up there? Were you looking for us?"

"No." She smoothed the part of Eleanor's hair that never did lie flat. "The kitchen called. They said there's some sort of problem, although why they need me I'm not exactly sure. By the way, I like your bracelet, Tahani."

Tahani smiled. "I like your dress."

"Me too. Mainly because it does this-" When the first lady started to spin, the long wisps of red fabric lifted and began to float about her like tendrils of a cloud. Tahani gasped.

"It's a twirling dress!" she exclaimed.

"I know!" said the first lady, sounding like a ten-year-old herself. Eleanor looked like she had no clue at all why they were so excited, but she didn't say anything. "Well, I'd better go see what they wanted so we can get this show on the road. You two should head that way. We'll be ready to start soon."

"Yes ma'am," said Tahani as the first lady walked away.

Tahani moved her wrist so that the bracelet jangled, noisy in the again quiet hallway, making the two girls suddenly extremely aware that they were alone. They'd been alone dozens of times in the past year, but this was a different kind than they had ever felt before. Tahani sneaked a glance at Eleanor, who was watching her jangle her bracelet; the other girl looked up, returning her gaze, and Tahani felt that there was something she needed to say, although she wasn't quite sure what.

Eleanor broke the silence, holding out her arm and saying, "Well, my lady, shall we?" Tahani laughed and curtsied, taking her arm and turning with her to walk back down the hallway. They didn't talk; they didn't laugh. They simply walked towards the fanciest party in the country, arm in arm, as though they weren't two ten-year-olds.

This time, they heard the three men before they saw it. The cart made a rattling, squeaky noise as it rolled over the tiles, and Tahani and Eleanor knew to move out of the way. The Russians, it seemed, liked to take their half of the hallway out of the middle, so the two girls pressed against the wall, still arm in arm, and Tahani felt the cool of the tile through the thin fabric of her dress.

The men were shouting, loud and fast, in Russian, and Tahani pressed against Eleanor, slightly afraid for reasons she didn't understand. Two of the Russians seemed really young, in their twenties maybe. They had short, dark hair, and wore expensive suits with ugly ties. One of them pointed to the door, which seemed a mile away, and Tahani caught a glimpse of a red tattoo on his wrist of a two-headed bird being eaten by a dog. Her first thought was to wonder why anyone would want something that ugly inked onto their skin forever.

Her next thought was that Eleanor's arm muscles had suddenly gone tight. Tahani's hand hurt as Eleanor bent her arm, squeezing her fingers in the crook of the other girl's elbow. Eleanor didn't seem to notice, however. As the men passed, one of them - the one with the tattoo - looked right at Eleanor. Paused for a moment, recognizing her. Shouted something in Russian. Then winked. Not a teasing, playful wink; and right then, Tahani's head realized what her gut had known all along. These men weren't Russian Secret Service agents. She knew it in her bones, in her blood.

So who were they?

And why were they here?

Suddenly, Tahani's throat felt tight, her heart pounding. "Eleanor…" she started, but her voice trailed off as she followed Eleanor's gaze. The Russians were pushing their cart, which seemed heavier now, towards the loading dock's doors. Tahani wondered, if they were bringing the delegation's meals in, why would their cart be heavier on the way out than on the way in?

And then she saw it: the piece of gauzy red fabric that protruded from under the cart's metal door, twisting and blowing in the breeze. "Eleanor!" she gasped, but Eleanor was already acting. From inside her cardigan she pulled out the tiny button she kept on her at all times. She pushed it, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then suddenly Tahani heard her dad's voice from behind her. His hair was wet, dripping onto his black suit and making little stains.

"Eleanor! There you two are, I was beginning to wonder." Then he paused. "What is it?" Eleanor was trembling now. They could still hear the rattling of the cart as the Russians broke into a run.

"My mom… they have-"

Sirens were beginning to blare and Tahani's dad was already breaking away, withdrawing his gun. Tahani had seen her dad's gun many times, but not like this, not as an extension of his arm, a far colder and deadlier limb.

"You two. Hide!" her dad yelled as he started to run.

And the Russians started to fire.


End file.
